Android is about to get a feature Samsung and Microsoft have had for a while

One of the cooler features of Android that iPhone users don’t have is the ability to do split-screen, essentially allowing them to view two apps at once, side-by-side. But now it looks like come Android 14, the feature is about to get better.

This is based on a tweet by Mishaal Rahman who discovered in the Android 14 Beta 2, saved “app pairs” will be coming to the platform. For those unfamiliar, “app pair” made its debut a few years ago where in the “recents” screen, apps that were previously split together could be launched together without users having to create a new split-screen from scratch.

Android 14 prepares to let you save an 'app pair' that launches side-by-side in split-screen mode!

In Beta 2, a new launcher flag has been added that, when enabled, surfaces a "save app pair" menu item in the context menu of split-screened apps in the recents overview. pic.twitter.com/lNwg6crlwZ

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) May 17, 2023

This only worked if the apps were launched from the “recents” screen, but with this update, users will now be able to create saved “app pairs” which will allow them to launch these apps side-by-side in split-screen mode even if the apps weren’t in “recents”.

As Rahman points out, this is a feature that other companies like Samsung and Microsoft have introduced in their devices, so while it might not be new for some users, it will be for those who don’t own a Samsung or Microsoft phone. Plus, with the upcoming release of the Pixel Fold, it should make using apps side-by-side a lot better.